POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS)

A typical polycystic ovary

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned briefly about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I now find it necessary to dedicate an entire post to this condition as I am now hearing everyday of someone with this condition.

When I was diagnosed with PCOS, being a stutterer, I could not pronounce the name properly and so apart from not understanding the condition as much as I would have wanted to, I used this as my excuse as well, not to talk about it.

WHAT IS POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME?

For my readers who do not know what this condition is:-

“ Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the main causes of infertility in women. It affects anywhere from five to ten per cent of women between the ages of 20 and 40, making it the most common reproductive syndrome for women of this age group. However, a further 30% of women may have some of the symptoms associated with PCOS although they won’t be diagnosed with the syndrome. Women who suffer from PCOS have cysts (fluid-filled sacs) on their ovaries that prevent the ovaries from performing normally. PCOS affects regular reproductive functions, like the menstrual cycle, as well as fertility. Ovaries of PCOS suffers tend to be from 1.5 to 3 times larger than normal ovaries.”……………………..

You can read further by visiting:- http://www.fertilityfactor.com/infertility_PCOS.html


GETTING PREGNANT WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

I was reading an articile the other day that women who are diagnosed with PCOS go on to having the same amount of healthy children as women who are not diagnosed with the condition. This really encouraged me.

“Many women who are trying to get pregnant may experience problems trying to conceive. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, known as PCOS for short and also known as PCOD or Polycystic Ovarian Disease, is one of the leading causes of infertility among women. While research has not yet determined how to cure for PCOS, it may be possible for a woman with PCOS to get pregnant with the right treatment or treatments.”……………….

Read further by visiting:- http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/how-to-get-pregnant-with-polycystic-ovarian-disease/


N.B. Since my PCOS has now returned, my doctor has prescribed a course of low dose contraceptive to be taken for over three months to dissolves these cysts. If this is proven successful then she advised that if I wish to become pregnant, then she recommends that we start trying right away.

When I was first diagnosed with this condition many years ago, a laparoscopy ( a surgery where a small incision is made in your abdomen and with the help of gas your ovaries is accessed and the cysts scraped from them) was done but sadly after the birth of my son, it has returned. I was perturbed at first that I might have to do surgery again but thankfully my doctor advised that she no longer does surgery for this condition for the reason that the cysts do return, and after paying so much for this surgery, who wants to know that they will again be faced with this issue.

I recommend therefore to anyone with this condition who is contemplating surgery, to have a talk with your doctor about the possibility of using contraceptives to dissolve these cysts. The only draw back with this, I might add is, because women who are diagnosed with PCOS have irregular periods due to lack of ovulation, and this procedure has to be done with the onset of menstruation, it might prove difficult. We just have to hope for the best.

MANAGING POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

If you happen to have PCOS but you are not comtemplating having children for whatever reasons, this condition should be monitored and managed because there are other serious conditions that is associated with this. For example, diabetes and heart disease just to name some.

“Most women with polycystic ovary syndrome should have an oral glucose tolerance test at diagnosis and at five-yearly intervals thereafter, and measurement of fasting lipids at diagnosis and at two- to three-yearly intervals. The exception would be a woman aged less than 20 who is not overweight and who does not have a family history of diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes or large birth weight.”…………..

For further reading visit:- http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/nov16/kidson/kidson.html


I sincerely hoped this information helped you and do not hesitate to let me have your comments or any questions you might have regarding Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Having been someone who is struggling with it for over a decade now, I should be able to shed some light on your concerns and questions. If I do not readily have the information, I will research it or you.

Please feel free to click on any relevant links on the right of page.

ALL THE BEST


Please do not forget to join me for my next post

My Infertility Story – Dealing with miscarriages cont'd.

As promised, here are some tips for picking up the pieces and moving on after a miscarriage or miscarriages, for you my readers who find yourselves in this position:-

Your miscarriage/s could be recently or a while now, but the point is, you never get over them and its worst if you have not had subsequent successful pregnancies, to take some of the focus off those that you have lost. If we were not blessed to have had our son a year after we lost our daughter, then I am scared to even think how I would be feeling now.

• With that said, what I want to say to persons dealing with miscarriages, is to grieve in your own way. Do not let anyone tell you how to grieve and when to stop grieving and move on. This is all up to you, or else you’ll find that you are not able to pick up the pieces and move on at all. I remember during my grief period, I took some time off from going out socially, as I did not think I would have been able to coop with normal life as it were. After a while, a friend said to me, Annetta, it is now time to come back out. I knew she meant well and I figured it was because I was missed, especially at Church, but I was upset as I felt it was not up to her to tell me when to move on.
• You also must cry, crying is good when nothing else can comfort you. After a good cry, you are left with enough energy to make it to the next cry. It is like a rest stop, it rejuvenates and gives you the resolve to forge ahead.
  You also need a support base. My family and friends were there for me in such an amazing way. My husband was phenomenal. Even my doctor was there for me too, he even called me on Mother’s Day, which was the next month. I was so touched by this. Grief of this kind, you cannot handle alone.
• Chances are you are feeling angry and betrayed by God. This is normal, as I felt that way too. Thanks to Dr. Dobson, his book “when God does not make sense,” puts it all in perspective for me. Just to reiterate what he is saying, we do not know why bad things befall us and it is not that we are targeted either. That’s just how life is. Why did my best friend have to die so tragically, or why is it your mother who is diagnosed with cancer, or why am I the only one out of five sisters to be diagnosed with infertility or the only child out of seven to get my father’s stuttering. No one knows, and the sooner we make peace with this, it will save us the energy we use to be angry with God so that we can channel that energy into picking up the pieces and moving on.
• You might also be having suicidal thoughts. This seem normal as I had them too and others I know of. My opinion with suicidal thoughts is that for some, they are just co-oping mechanisims and for others they are more than just that as sadly they are actually acted up on. When you have them you are actually picturing yourself dead and therefore rid of the problems that you face and this infact makes them a little lighter to carry for the moment. I find that soon after I had those thoughts, I was jolted back into reality, as I began to feel so guilty and selfish that I would actually want to put my loved ones through that kind of pain.
• If you feel you want to hold on to something from the experience, do that, it helps, it is comforting and the time will come when you can let it go. I chose to hold on to my shower items and after a while, I was able to share them with another friend who was pregnant. It was hard as I cried so much when she left with them, because I felt she was taking away a piece of my daughter.
• If you find that you are approaching the end of your reproductive years, and you have exhausted all your options, then adoption is still a good alternative. I know you might have contemplated it before and so it is now good time to visit this option. Adoption can also be a good option while you are considering your next plan, once you are financially able to do it. I am sure you will have a lot of love to give to this fortunate child who otherwise probably would not have it. I thought of adoption many times, I even went to the Agency for a package which turned out to be my security blanket, as I could not shake the feeling that I in fact wanted my own child.
• Most importantly, DO NOT GIVE UP. Just when you feel like giving up, that is when your triumph could be just around the corner. Many women lose a couple of pregnancies first before they have successful ones, so be encouraged.
  

Trials like these only come to make us strong and I am a testimony to that and I know you will get there too. Just stay the course, let the trials redefine you as a person, let them redefine your life’s purpose. Trust me you will be better off for it.

ALL THE VERY BEST!!!!!!!

In my next posts, I will be talking about my triumph, I cannot believe I am at that point in my story already and I am so excited to share it with you. Do join me.